Missing car not mine, says Moi

November 15, 2008 12:00 am

By JUDIE KABERIA, NAIROBI, November 15 – Former President Daniel Arap Moi has denied that a car that was stolen from a dealer’s garage belonged to him.

In a statement from his press secretary Lee Njiru on Saturday, Moi termed the news that one of his cars had been stolen as false.

"What is true is that Mzee has ordered a Range Rover from CMC but none has been delivered to him," Mr Njiru said adding that all cars belonging to the former President were secure.

Earlier on Saturday morning, a top-of-the-range motor vehicle was briefly detained at the Buru Buru police station as police intensified the hunt for the missing vehicle.

The sleek Range Rover’s owner Primrose Nyamu told Capital News that she was intercepted at Prudential Estate by Flying Squad officers and ordered to drive to the police station.

“In the morning I was going to buy breakfast for my kids, this is when police stopped me and asked me about my car, we went to the house and I gave them all the documents, then I drove to the police station with them,” she said.

Officials from Cooper Motors Limited (CMC) went to the police station and denied that the car was the missing one.

“The CMC boss was here and he has confirmed my car was not the one stolen from their garage, the number plates are different,” she held.

Mrs Nyamu said she bought the car from Cabinet Minister William Ruto about a month ago, and that she had not taken it for service at CMC.

Flying squad Boss Musa Yego said police had established that the former President once used the same vehicle, but that they would continue tracking the actual missing car.

On Friday four security guards were arraigned in a Makadara court and charged with failing to safeguard the vehicle.

The four who were on guard at CMC appeared before Makadara senior Principal Magistrate Emily Ominde charged with the offence allegedly committed last weekend.

The case will be mentioned in two weeks ahead of the hearing slated for January 6.

JUDIE KABERIA Judie, an Associate Editor has worked as a journalist in Kenya and Germany. She has a Master's Degree in New Media, Governance and Democracy, University of Leicester (U.K). She has scooped 10 journalistic awards. She has participated in international conferences in Germany, Switzerland, United States and Netherlands. Judie has written a booklet, 'Justice and Peace in the Kenyan Eye'. She has a soft spot for human rights, crime, peace and justice stories.